1 . New Year’s resolutions(决心) usually are like some of those promises that are meant to be broken. The word “New” in the new year, puts a lot of pressure on starting over and turning a new leaf. But you must remember you cannot just become a different person overnight when the clock strikes 12.
To start fresh this New Year’s Day, here are a few tips setting realistic new years’ resolutions in order to avoid the burden of disappointment next year.
Choose a very specific goal
Unclear plans like “lose weight” “exercise more” or “write more” are goals with no teeth.
They are unclear plans and desires, and are very easy to explain away due to how unclear they are.
Once you have chosen your goals, make a very detailed plan of how you will reach that goal. Having a plan and a pathway can help you imagine your progress and won’t make you impatient for immediate results. That way you will have already imagined what progress would look like for you in say, 3 months, 5 months, 7 months or every day depending on your goals.
Get yourself a social group
In today’s social media world, it is easy to find a group of like-minded individuals interested in sharing your goal. Get yourself a social group like this. However, just as there is this bright side to having a social group, the problem is the pressure. Don’t get consumed by social media and what others are doing.
Accept failure and forgive yourself.
| A．Make a plan to reach that goal |
| B．Be patient with your progress |
| C．Instead, set goals like “exercise 20 minutes every day“ or “lose 15 pounds” |
| D．Despite all your efforts, it is possible that you might fail or make a mistake. |
| E．Therefore, new year’s resolutions usually end up in failure |
| F．Change is a difficult process-the key words being “difficult“ and “process” |
| G．Remember you have this group only for support, not for comparison |
| A．A book. | B．A film. | C．An actor. |
3 . Scientists have been surprised and impressed with the long-distance travel of a bird recently, a common cuckoo (布谷鸟) which flew from southern Africa to Mongolia.
Onon is a common cuckoo. It’s one of 5 cuckoos who were tagged last summer in Mongolia, far to the north of China. Though cuckoos originally came from Africa, until recently scientists weren’t sure that cuckoos from Mongolia flew to Africa for the winter.
In June, 2019, scientists attached tiny trackers to five cuckoos. These satellite tags allowed the scientists to follow the movements of the birds on a map. Sure enough, Onon spent the winter in southern Africa — in Zambia.
This spring, Onon returned to Mongolia, amazing scientists once again with his long-distance flying. In just a couple of months, Onon flew more than 12,000 kilometers. It crossed 16 countries, flying at an average speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
Long migrations are common among sea birds, but cuckoos are land birds. “It was one of the longest animal migrations which has been recorded for a land bird,” said Chris Hewson, one of the project’s lead scientists.
At times, Onon stopped for a few hours or a few days. But some of the long stretches, like crossing the Indian Ocean, had to be done without stopping. The birds have to travel through strong winds and storms, make sure they find enough to eat, and avoid being eaten themselves.
Luckily, cuckoos seem to have a good sense of weather patterns, allowing them to fatten up as much as possible right before they leave. They also seem to be good at finding helpful winds that allow them to travel long distances without getting too tired. Still, flying such long distances isn’t easy. Onon is the only one of the five tagged cuckoos who made it all the way back to Mongolia.
1. Why were satellite tags attached to five cuckoos?| A．To make them safe. | B．To position the birds. |
| C．To draw a detailed map. | D．To observe them in winter. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Astonished. | C．Puzzled. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Because it is very dangerous. | B．Because it is well-known. |
| C．Because it is a place to go. | D．Because it is rich in food. |
| A．Cuckoos’ advantages. | B．Cuckoos’ senses. |
| C．Cuckoos’ habits. | D．Cuckoos’ will. |
4 . Nature can be unforgiving, especially when it comes to the animal world. As such, squirrels need every advantage they can get in order to protect themselves from a variety of predators that may want to make them their next meal. Squirrels pay incredibly close attention to their surroundings, and they pick up alarm calls from other nearby animals in reference to nearby predators. Now, a new study reveals that squirrels also listen to nearby birds’ conversations to make sure there is no threat close by.
Researchers from Oberlin University say that if the talk from birds is relaxing and normal, the squirrel knows it is not in immediate danger. The authors said that squirrels were listening to bird conversations and sounds to assess their safety, so in order to test their theory they observed the behavior of 54 wild Eastern gray squirrels scattered across various parks and areas in Ohio.
First, a threat was shown by playing a record of a red-tailed hawk(鹰), an animal known to hunt and eat both squirrels and other smaller birds. Then, researchers played one of two different recordings; one recording was of many songbirds chattering among one another happily, and the other was with no bird noises. After playing these recordings, each squirrel’s behavior was monitored for three minutes.
As expected, after hearing the initial record, all the squirrels displayed defensive attitudes, such as running away, looking around, or freezing their movements. Interestingly, the squirrels that heard the happy sounds of songbirds returned back to a normal, relaxed state much faster than the other group that heard the quiet sounds.
The study’s authors say that this indicates squirrels use the sounds of nearby animals to ensure their own safety. This allows the squirrel to either get back to what they were doing in a faster manner, or prepare for potential threats more efficiently.
“Perhaps in some circumstances, cues of safety could be as important as cues of danger,” the study reads. The study is published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
1. What does the underlined word “predators” mean in the first paragraph?| A．Animals that hunt squirrels as food. |
| B．Animals that make friends with squirrels. |
| C．Animals that hunt squirrels and birds at night. |
| D．Animals that steal the food from the squirrels’ nests. |
| A．They will stay and freeze. |
| B．They will behave normally. |
| C．They will keep on their guard. |
| D．They will look around and run away. |
| A．By studying the different data. |
| B．By listing the different figures. |
| C．By comparing the different responses. |
| D．By playing different games with the squirrels. |
| A．Three interesting experiments. |
| B．Squirrels listen to birds to stay safe. |
| C．Judging danger from nearby sounds. |
| D．Squirrels can record the dangerous sound. |
5 . Ecofriendly replacement products for single-use plastics are appearing everywhere. But have you heard of edible (可食性的) straws? Now EQUO, a new eco-friendly company in Vietnam has come up with a natural edible solution to plastic or paper straws.
The edible straws are completely plastic free, nontoxic, chemical free, and 100 percent biodegradable according to a company press release.
“It’s well known that plastic straws are harmful to the environment. Most of the 500 million used every day in America end up in oceans where they pollute water and harm marine life. Currently over eight billion straws pollute the world’s beaches,” said Marina Tran-Vu in the press release. “Although there are some plastic and paper straw alternatives on the market, most are environmentally harmful, and we were also unsatisfied with the quality and lasting of paper straws.”
All of the materials are locally from regions that support sustainable farming according to the company’s website and they struggle to have zero-net influence by” using the power of mother nature”. The name of the company was created by combining “ECO” — meaning environmentally friendly — with “STATUS QUO” — meaning the existent state. EQU stands for creating products that have minimal influence on the environment. The company was first shown on Kickstarter on May 18 and hit their funding goal in only 30 days.
Many countries are banning single-use plastics. The EU banned 10 single-use plastic products including straws that will take effect in 2021. Other items that will no longer be made of plastic include cutlery (餐具), and balloon sticks. These 10 items make up a large percentage of ocean waste that harms marine life.
So do your part, use biodegradable cutlery — you can carry your own , edible straws, and reusable water or coffee cups. These small items can contribute to reducing plastic waste.
1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?| A．The popularity of plastic straws. |
| B．The harm of plastic straws. |
| C．The pollution of beaches. |
| D．The necessity of change. |
| A．It means the original aim. |
| B．It means the existent state. |
| C．It means how to create products. |
| D．It means being good for the environment. |
| A．Plastic straws will be forbidden. |
| B．Edible straws will be sold cheaply. |
| C．Ocean waste can be rid completely. |
| D．Single-use plastic products will disappear. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Tolerant. | D．Approving. |
Science Sunday is for everyone interested in the world around them, whose lectures are designed to make science interesting and “user-friendly” for everyone. Lectures are one hour long. Doors open to the lecture hall at 1:00 pm. Lecture passes are available at the admissions counter at 12:30 pm. Seating is limited and first-come, first-served. No late seating. Lectures include time for a few questions at the end.
Life on the Ranch
Celebrate the warmth of the holiday season with crafts, games, music, and enjoyment from the early 20th century. We’ll busy your hands with holiday wreath-making (花冠), invite you to join in an old-fashioned sing-along around the player piano, and provide you with materials to make Victorian and Mexican holiday crafts. Come play games, take a draft-horse carriage ride, decorate the tree, and create decorations to bring home to your own tree.
Open Studios Tour
Explore the hidden world of art! Visit artists in their studios, learn about their processes, purchase original works of art. Free mobile app and printed guide have artist information and maps. Open Studios is a free self-guided tour, produced by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, which invites the public into more than 300 artist studios across Santa Cruz County.
Roaring Camp
Step into the incredible world of steam power at the Steam & Harvest Festival. Welcome Fall with traditional children’s activities like candle making, and gold panning. See a variety of steam and belt-powered equipment on display. Admission is free for the whole family.
1. What can visitors do if they attend Science Sunday lectures?| A．Show up at 2:30 pm. | B．Explore the hidden world of art. |
| C．Be able to ask questions. | D．Change attitudes to oceans. |
| A．Promote wreath-making. | B．Sing to the piano. |
| C．Make crafts alone. | D．Get close to Victoria. |
| A．Roaring Camp | B．Open Studios Tour |
| C．Life on the Ranch | D．Seymour Marine Discovery Center |
7 . Just like our bodies, our minds also become weak over time.
It improves cognitive (认知的) performance.
A study published in the journal Neurology Clinical Practice examined nearly 100 individual studies on exercise and brain function and discovered that exercising an average of 52 hours over six months is associated with improved cognitive performance in older adults. The type of exercises are beneficial.
It can make you happier.
The human body is meant to move. But listening to that urge to move has many benefits - including making you happier and even keep depression and other mental health issues at bay.
Researchers from Japan’s University of Tsukuba wanted to explore this idea further by looking at the effect of exercise on the weakening of the brain. They found that the fitter a participant was, the less brain activity he used to complete the tasks when compared with his out-of-shape peers.
It can expand your capacity for joy.
| A．It allows you to use less brain power for the same task. |
| B．It makes you feel the progress of your brain power. |
| C．But remember not to choose some energetic exercises. |
| D．And these exercises include strength-training and mind-body exercises. |
| E．We lose the ability to process new information or to switch quickly between mental tasks. |
| F．A research has begun to expose long-overlooked links between physical activity and mental health. |
| G．Kelly McGonigal is a health expert who explains how exercise makes the brain more sensitive to joy. |
8 . While retiring ahead of time may be easier on the body, a new set of research has found that it may not be so beneficial for the mind. The study, conducted at Binghamton University, finds that an early retirement can speed up the usual rate of cognitive (认知的) decline among the elderly.
The research team analyzed China’s new rural pension system, as well as China’s most recent Retirement Longitudinal Survey, in order to investigate the effects of early retirement and pension benefits on individual cognition among adults over the age of 60. After going over all of the data, the research team noted a clear trend: people receiving pension benefits were experiencing much more rapid mental decline than those still on the workforce. Surprisingly, females seemed to experience even sharper mental decline after retiring early. Overall, the results support the hypothesis (假设) that decreased mental activity accelerates cognitive decline.
Nikolov, the lead researcher, had actually conducted previous studies that found retirement led to a number of positive physical health benefits for retirees, such as improved sleep patterns, less stress, and reduced alcohol consumption. However, retirement is also usually accompanied with a decline in social activities and less overall interaction with people, which has also been linked to cognitive decline.
“For cognition among the elderly, it looks like the negative effect on social connection far outweighed the positive effect of the program on fitness and sleep.” Nikolov says. “Or social connection may simply be the single most powerful factor for cognitive performance in old age.”
The research team are hopeful that their findings will be considered by older adults when thinking about retirement, but perhaps more importantly, they hope that policy makers in developing countries take note while drawing up new pension plans. They recommend building social get-togethers and workshops for recent retirees to help lessen the predicted decline in social interaction and creative thinking that often comes along with retirement.
1. Which of the following best describes retiring ahead of time for the mind?| A．Useless. | B．Beneficial. | C．Damaging. | D．Improving. |
| A．Men retiring as plans. | B．Women retiring early. |
| C．Women over the age of 60. | D．Men retiring ahead of time. |
| A．Longer sleeping time. | B．Fewer social activities. |
| C．More alcohol consumption. | D．More time with family members. |
| A．We should help the retired people |
| B．We should not retire in the modern world |
| C．Early retirement is not so good for the old |
| D．The government should make a new policy |
9 . In battling the timber poachers who enter the thick Sierra Madre forests near his home, Larry Garaes has found a new support: solar panels.
With solar chargers, the radios he and other forest rangers (护林人) rely on no longer run out of power on multi-day operations in the mountains.
“Communication between rangers is a lot better. Now, we can catch the poachers while they are in the act because we can coordinate (使协调) our moves quietly without turning to shout at the next ranger — unlike before,” Garaes said.
Access to clean energy is bringing a range of unexpected benefits around the world. On the longest mountain range in the Philippines, those benefits include better forest protection — and power for tribal people who once lacked it.
More than 2 million households — or about 10 percent of all households — in the Philippines lack electricity, according to a 2017 report by the country’s Department of Energy.About three quarters are in remote rural locations, in a country spread over thousands of islands, according to the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), which is trying to get them connected.Because bringing the national grid (网格) power to many of those people is not cost effective, the state National Power Corporation has charged SPUG with setting up and running small power plants in these areas. So far 327 such plants have been established. Government plans to call for 100 percent electrification of the country by 2022.
“Government has to do its work to connect all those areas that are not yet connected to the grid,” said Edmundo Veloso Jr. “But all but one of the new generation plants use diesel fuel, he said — even though transport of fuel can be a big problem in remote areas. Diesel is the fastest and the only technology available at the moment for off-grid areas. Diesel is still the cheapest in terms of capital outlay (开支).”
1. What do Garaes’ words suggest?| A．Fewer poachers come there. |
| B．They used to move loudly. |
| C．Their conditions improved. |
| D．They were tired of shouting. |
| A．People are unwilling to use clean energy. |
| B．Using clean energy benefits people there. |
| C．Forest protection turns out to be serious. |
| D．People in the area require more attention. |
| A．The serious shortage of electricity. |
| B．The poor conditions in rural areas. |
| C．The improvement of power supply. |
| D．The popularity of power plants. |
| A．Lacking funds. | B．Shipping fuel. |
| C．Technology. | D．Shortage of attention. |
10 . Michael Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. When
Two of the
“He wasn’t
Todd was
“I’ve been bullied my entire life,” Todd told CBS News.
| A．devoted | B．other | C．curious | D．native |
| A．model | B．sign | C．target | D．loser |
| A．simply | B．slightly | C．hardly | D．thankfully |
| A．professors | B．coaches | C．colleagues | D．kids |
| A．complained | B．realized | C．recognized | D．reported |
| A．temper | B．lung | C．spirit | D．reputation |
| A．hesitated | B．forgot | C．failed | D．needed |
| A．hatched | B．denied | C．abandoned | D．expanded |
| A．entertained | B．met | C．accused | D．questioned |
| A．reserve | B．playground | C．hall | D．lab |
| A．called out | B．taken in | C．picked up | D．looked over |
| A．arguing | B．recording | C．wondering | D．smiling |
| A．pace | B．appear | C．apologize | D．pause |
| A．lock | B．wake | C．put | D．make |
| A．blown away | B．called off | C．put aside | D．approved of |
| A．worn | B．new | C．colorful | D．casual |
| A．alone | B．up | C．still | D．away |
| A．hands | B．friends | C．employees | D．examples |
| A．Discussing | B．Warning | C．Recalling | D．Facing |
| A．busiest | B．worst | C．richest | D．best |
